More police offices in the districts was a key promise for the Center Party in the 2021 election campaign. news reported on Tuesday this week that several police chiefs are critical of the government establishing new police offices. – We did not want a new office. Offices and rent tie up resources, which we could rather spend on patrols and investigations. Then we get more for the money, said police chief Nils Kristian Moe in Trøndelag police district. Among other things, he pointed out that the number of criminal cases and other circumstances in Meråker municipality did not indicate that a new office with five employees was necessary. news has now reviewed the number of reports in the municipalities where a police station is to be established this year or next year. The review shows that in seven out of 19 municipalities there were less than 100 reviews last year. The Norwegian Police Union believes the figures are yet another proof that new police stations are the wrong use of resources. Deputy leader Ørjan Hjortland in the Police Federation is critical of the new offices. Photo: Karoline Finnema / news – Although the number of reports in itself does not necessarily say anything about the need for the police in isolation, we do believe that this also proves that it is the wrong priority to use police resources in this way, says Deputy Chairman Ørjan Hjortland in The Police Union. The government creates ten new police offices: Police leaders react strongly 26 reviews last year On Wednesday, local Center Party politicians dressed up and ate marzipan when the government presented ten new offices to be established during 2024. Åseral was one of the municipalities that was told that the police office will be reopened. – This is good news. I have to pinch myself, said Åseral mayor Inger Lise Lund Stulien (Ap). The mayor of Åseral says the new police station is good news. Photo: Vetle Hjortland / news But in her village, which has 911 inhabitants, only 26 reviews were registered in the whole of last year. The Norwegian Police Federation believes that the resources should have been used differently. – Are 26 reports enough to keep an entire police office going? – No it’s not. If you look at the figures from last year, we have a total of over 300,000 reviews in Norway. If you are to distribute the cases per person, then it is too little. Then the police should use the resources in a different way, replies Hjortland in the Norwegian Police Union. Police chief Kjerstin Askholt in the Agder police district has previously told news that she fears the police service may deteriorate if there is no extra money to run the police offices in Åseral and Kvinesdal, which are to be reopened. – I wish the individual municipalities new police stations and look forward to it on their behalf. But our everyday life already involves tough priorities every day. I want that if we get new resources, we can use them flexibly and to the delight of all municipalities throughout Agder, she says. – With 26 reviews in the whole of last year, how would you assess the need for police officers in Åseral? – Then we still want to be able to prioritize Åseral, but we also want to be able to use the resources flexibly out of Åseral and to the rest of the Agder police district. It will be important to us, she replies. These municipalities will get new police offices from 2024. The offices are spread all over the country. – The breadth of the police’s work When the Center Party presented which places would get a new police station in 2024, news asked Vedum if he knew how many reports there were in the various municipalities. – There are many small places that are getting new police stations. Do you know, for example, how many cases a year they have in, for example, Rakkestad? – I have not gone into it. What is important for us is to have a presence, to have the police, to strengthen local preparedness and preventive work, Vedum replies. – But haven’t you considered the caseload and the need for man-years? – Here, of course, both the Ministry of Justice and the Directorate of Police have had their rounds. We are keen to see the breadth of the police’s work. It is both the daily presence, there is preventive youth work and, of course, individual cases, he replies. Five police man-years Earlier this year, the government presented the list of nine new duty stations that will open this year. In each of these places, five new FTEs will be created. For the ten new offices that became known on 23 August, the number of employees has not yet been determined. This also applies in Åseral. – It has not been decided when in 2024 the duty stations will open or how many people will work at the individual duty station. This will be clarified later and will, among other things, depend on local processes between the police and the municipality, the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness writes in an e-mail.
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Here they had 26 reports in the whole of last year – now they get their own police office – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
